Saturday, June 20, 2015

Another birthday has come and gone and I'm a year older. I love having my birthday in June -- I think it is the best month of the year to be born! It's always beautiful on my birthday!

Yesterday we took a day trip to celebrate my birthday, and I was so blessed to have so many of my beloved family along -- Douglas, the children, my sister-in-law, my parents, and grandmother all made it special! We ate lunch at a classy restaurant and then went to a nearby park with lots of attractions. A lookout tower to climb...

And a lake for paddling in. How fun are these swan boats? Reminds me of Make Way for Ducklings.

I attempted a selfie with Rosie while we were on the water. She was very dubious about wearing a lifejacket at first, but once we got going, she seemed to warm up to the idea of messing about in boats.

And there was a family of real swans!

I made myself a new sundress to wear on my birthday. It's been a long time since I've made a vintage-inspired dress to wear! This one was cobbled together from a vintage 80s pattern of my mom's and a basic sundress pattern of mine, and I drafted the 50s-inspired bodice details myself. The navy gingham came from Hobby Lobby. I have been pleasantly surprised by their fabric offerings lately! I think they are making an effort to cater to home apparel sewists (not just quilters and crafters), which I appreciate.

Then home for a lovely birthday dinner at my mom's. I always look forward to pink roses in June.

I feel very blessed indeed to have so much love showered on me on my birthday.

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

When I reorganized my sewing room at the beginning of the year, it allowed me to gather all my "sewing stuff" into one place and take stock of what I have. I found a number of UFOs (unfinished objects, in crafting parlance) that I either needed to finish or toss. This one dates back to the summer of 2013. The fabric is a cotton lawn from Fashion Fabrics Club that my kids gave me for my birthday, along with the fabric that became the first rendition of my "mama's favorite" maxi dress. I finally cut it out last summer, but the project stalled and I never got it finished, until recently.

It is a pretty simple skirt, so I didn't use a pattern. The waistband is shirred elastic thread, and the skirt is lined to the ruffle with white rayon challis. The hemline is cut in a gentle high-low shape, my first foray into that trend (it's probably not trendy anymore, eh? I'm not really on top of things). It's actually a little big for me right now, since I've lost some weight since last summer -- it doesn't stay at my waist very well, which is where I'd like to wear it. However, I think this feature will make it a nice maternity and post-partum skirt.

I've realized I've not shared a sewing project for myself since before Rosie was born! I hope that will change this summer -- along with my two other UFO skirts, I'd enjoy sewing up a new everyday dress or two for the summertime. What's in your summer project lineup?

I'm a 31-year-old Christian. My hope is to live a quiet life filled with home and hearth, family and friends, loveliness and simplicity. I'm wife to Douglas (married October 2008) and mother to Edmund (born November 2009), Lavinia (born May 2012), and Rosamund (born February 2014).More...